Packing box

ABSTRACT

A packing box includes a plurality of side plates, an outer cover and an inner cover. The plurality of side plates is provided mutually and continuously through a first bending portion. The outer cover is linked to at least one of the side plates through a second bending portion crossing the first bending portion, and serves to block a packed product port formed by the side plates. The inner cover is linked to the outer cover through a third bending portion on an extension of the first bending portion, and is linked to any of the side plates being adjacent to the side plate provided with the outer cover through a fourth bending portion in the same direction as the second bending portion. The inner cover is bent inward through a fifth bending portion extended from a crossing position of the third bending portion and the fourth bending portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-218675 filed on Sep. 24, 2009.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a packing box.

2. Related Art

When various members are to be transported or stored, they are often accommodated in packing boxes formed by a corrugated board plate or a plastic plate, for example. If necessary, a cover of the packing box is opened to take the member (that is, a packed product) out of an inside of the packing box.

In general, the packing box has a double cover structure including an outer cover positioned on an outside and an inner cover positioned on an inside, and two opening/closing operations, that is, an operation for opening/closing the outer cover and an operation for opening/closing the inner cover are carried out when the packed product is to be taken in/out. In addition, a pair of inner covers is provided. For this reason, three opening/closing operations are substantially carried out.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the invention, a packing box includes a plurality of side plates, an outer cover and an inner cover. The plurality of side plates is provided mutually and continuously through a first bending portion. The outer cover is provided to be linked to at least one of the side plates through a second bending portion crossing the first bending portion, and serves to block a packed product port formed by the side plates. The inner cover (i) is disposed to be linked to the outer cover through a third bending portion on an extension of the first bending portion, (ii) is disposed to be linked to any of the side plates which is adjacent to the side plate provided with the outer cover through a fourth bending portion in the same direction as the second bending portion, and (iii) is bent inward through a fifth bending portion extended from a crossing position of the third bending portion and the fourth bending portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a packing box according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an outer cover and an inner cover are opened in the packing box of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a developed view showing the packing box in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a portion indicated as F1 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing a hole portion and a peripheral portion thereof in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along an A-A′ line in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along a B-B′ line in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8A is a developed view showing an example of angle setting in a fifth bending portion, and FIG. 8B is an explanatory view seen in a direction of the A-A′ line in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9A is a developed view showing another example of the angle setting in the fifth bending portion, and FIG. 98 is an explanatory view seen in the direction of the A-A′ line in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a packing box according to a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which an outer cover and an inner cover are opened in the packing box of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a developed view showing the packing box in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view showing a portion indicated as F2 in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along a C-C′ line in FIG. 10; and

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along a D-D line in FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments according to an example of the invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings for explaining the embodiments, the same components have the same reference numerals in principle, and repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a packing box 10 according to a first embodiment takes a shape of a quadratic prism and has four side plates 11 (11 a, 11 b, 11 e, 11 d) provided mutually and continuously through a first bending portion 21. As shown in FIG. 3, a connecting piece 12 is provided on the side plate 11 a through the first bending portion 21 in order to connect the side plates 11 a and 11 d. The first bending portions 21 in four places are bent to take a convex shape and the connecting piece 12 is stuck to the side plate 11 d in such a manner that the first bending portion 21 of the connecting piece 12 corresponds to an edge part of the side plate 11 d. Consequently, there is formed a cylindrical member having an internal space surrounded by the four side plates 11 and including a packed product port 13 for taking in/out a packed product W (FIGS. 8 and 9).

The side plate 11 c is provided with an outer cover 14 through a second bending portion 22 crossing the first bending portion 21 (at approximately 90° in the embodiment). The outer cover 14 serves to close the packed product port 13 and has a tip part on which an inserting piece 14 a to be inserted into the side plate 11 a in the closure is formed through a bending portion 31. Moreover, a slit 14 b is formed in an almost central position on the bending portion 31. The slit 14 b serves to insert an inserting piece 15 a of a stopping portion 15 formed on the side plate 11 a which will be described below.

Accordingly, the inserting piece 14 a of the outer cover 14 is inserted into the side plate 11 a so that the packed product port 13 is closed with the outer cover 14. Furthermore, the inserting piece 15 a of the stopping portion 15 is inserted into the slit 14 b of the outer cover 14 in this state so that the outer cover 14 is locked and inhibited from being opened.

Although the outer cover 14 is provided on only the single side plate 11 c in the embodiment, an outer cover may be formed on the side plate 11 a which is opposed to the side plate 11 c in such a manner that the packed product port 13 is closed with the two outer covers.

An inner cover 16 is provided adjacently to the outer cover 14. The inner cover 16 is linked to the outer cover 14 through a third bending portion 23 on an extension of the first bending portion 21, and furthermore, is continuously disposed on the two side plates 11 b and 11 d which are adjacent to the side plate 11 c provided with the outer cover 14 through a fourth bending portion 24 extended in the same direction as the second bending portion 22.

In the embodiment, the inner cover 16 takes an almost triangular shape having the third and fourth bending portions 23 and 24 as sides, and is bent inward (to take a concave shape in FIG. 3) through a fifth bending portion 25 extended from a crossing position of the third bending portion 23 and the fourth bending portion 24 to an edge part (extended from the crossing position to the edge part at an angle of approximately 45° with respect to the third bending portion 23 or the fourth bending portion 24 in the embodiment).

When the outer cover 14 is opened/closed, accordingly, the inner cover 16 is interlockingly opened/closed while a bending angle around the fifth bending portion 25 is varied.

As shown, in the embodiment, a length of the third bending portion 23 is increased to approximate to full widths of the side plates 11 b and 11 d and a length of the fourth bending portion 24 is increased to approximate to a full length of the outer cover 14 so that rigidities of the bending portions 23 and 24 can be enhanced and they are deformed with difficulty.

Although the inner cover 16 is provided in two places on both sides of the outer cover 14 in the embodiment, moreover, either of them may be provided.

The stopping portion 15 is formed on the side plate 11 a in an opposed position to the side plate 11 c through a bending portion 32. The stopping portion 15 is partitioned from the side plate 11 a through a pair of cuts 41 provided in a longitudinal direction of the side plate 11 a from both ends of the bending portion 32, and furthermore, is partially protruded from the side plate 11 a. A protruded portion serves as the inserting piece 15 a through a bending portion 33 extended in the same direction as the bending portion 32. As described above, when the inserting piece 15 a is inserted into the slit 14 b, the outer cover 14 is locked in a closing state.

As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the second bending portion 22 provided between the side plate 11 c and the outer cover 14 is positioned closer to a tip side of the outer cover 14 than the fourth bending portion 24 provided between the side plates 11 b and 11 d and the inner cover 16 (which corresponds to L1 in FIG. 4).

In this case, there is considered the case is which the outer cover 14 and the inner cover 16 are closed. In other words, in the embodiment, the outer cover 14 and the inner cover 16 are mutually connected through the third bending portion 23. If the second bending portion 22 and the fourth bending portion 24 are mutually on the level, therefore, the outer cover 14 is bulged because of a thickness of the inner cover 16 when both the outer cover 14 and the inner cover 16 are closed and overlap with each other. lithe position of the second bending portion 22 is placed closer to the tip side of the outer cover 14 than the fourth bending portion 24 as in the embodiment, however, the bulged part is absorbed by the length L1 based on a difference between the position of the second bending portion 22 and that of the fourth bending portion 24 so that the bulged part is not generated or at least the bulged part is relieved.

It is desirable that the second bending portion 22 should be positioned closer to the tip side of the outer cover 14 than the fourth bending portion 24 by a thickness of the member constituting the packing box 10 or more. For example, if the thickness of the member constituting the packing box 10 is set to be 1.5 mm, the second bending portion 22 is set to be positioned closer to the tip side of the outer cover 14 than the fourth bending portion 24 by approximately 1.5 to 2 mm. Consequently, an increment of a thickness in the second bending portion 22 in the closure of the outer cover 14 and the inner cover 16 (a thickness of a single member constituting the packing box 10) is absorbed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the bulged part from being caused by their overlap. The position may be placed in the thickness of the member constituting the packing box 10 or less. If the position is placed in the thickness of the member or less, the bulged part is not perfectly eliminated but relieved.

In the embodiment, the second bending portion 22 is positioned closer to the tip side of the outer cover 14 by approximately 2 mm (more specifically, a thickness which is greater by approximately 0.5 mm than the thickness of the single member constituting the packing box 10, that is, 1.5 mm) than the fourth bending potion 24. If the outer cover 14 and the inner cover 16 are connected to each other, a so-called relief is formed, that is, the inner cover 16 can be bent inward in the vicinity of the tip of the outer cover 14 which is placed apart from the second bending portion 22 when both the outer cover 14 and the inner cover 16 are closed and overlap with each other. Since the relief is not formed near the second bending portion 22, however, the outer cover 14 is correspondingly bulged. Accordingly, the second bending portion 22 is not shifted toward the tip side of the outer cover 14 from the fourth bending portion 24 by the thickness (1.5 mm) corresponding to the single member constituting the packing box 10 but a part corresponding to the bulged part based on no relief is estimated to be approximately 0.5 mm and the value (0.5 mm) is added to the thickness (1.5 mm) so that the second bending portion 22 is shifted by 2 mm.

As shown in FIG. 4, moreover, a hole portion 17 is formed in a crossing position of the third bending portion 23 provided between the outer cover 14 and the inner cover 16, and the fourth bending portion 24 provided between the inner cover 16 and the side plates 11 b and 11 d. The hole portion is also formed in a crossing position of the first bending portion 21 and the second bending portion 22.

When the outer cover 14 and the inner cover 16 are closed, a thickness corresponding to three members constituting the packing box 10 (more specifically, a thickness corresponding to a single outer cover and a thickness corresponding to two inner covers) is incremented in the crossing position of the third bending portion 23 and the fourth bending portion 24. When the outer cover 14 and the inner cover 16 are closed, accordingly, the same portion is bulged particularly greatly. If the hole portion 17 is formed as in the embodiment, however, the bulged part is absorbed so that the bulged part can be prevented from being generated or at least the bulged part can be relieved.

The thickness corresponding to the three members constituting the packing box 10 concentrates in a region in which the hole portion 17 is formed. As shown in FIG. 5, therefore, it is desirable that a length of the hole portion 17 along the third bending portion 23 should be equal to or greater than three times as great as the thickness of the member constituting the packing box 10. In other words, the length of the hole portion 17 along a direction of the third bending portion 23, and this length is greater than a sum of a thickness of each member which includes the side plate 11, the outer cover 14 and the inner cover 16 of the packing box 10. For example, if the thickness of the member constituting the packing box 10 is set to be 1.5 mm, a length L2 of the hole portion 17 in the direction is set to be approximately 4.5 to 5 mm. In the embodiment, the length L1 based on the difference between the positions of the second bending portion 22 and the fourth bending portion 24 along an outer cover tip direction is set to be 2 mm, and the second bending portion 22 and the fourth bending portion 24 are positioned in such a manner that a region having the length L1 is placed in a central part of the length L2. The outer cover tip direction indicates a direction toward the tip of the outer cover 14. That is, the length L1 based on the difference between the positions of the second bending portion 22 and the fourth bending portion 24 is greater than the thickness of the member constituting the packing box 10 Both an interval L3 formed by an extended line of the second bending portion 22 and a side of the hole portion 17 at the third bending portion 23 side and an interval L4 formed by an extended line of the fourth bending portion 24 and a side of the bole portion 17 at the first bending portion 21 side are set to be 1.5 mm (that is, corresponding to the thickness of the member constituting the packing box 10), and L2 is set to be 5 mm (2 mm+1.5 mm+1.5 mm). Consequently, the increment of the thickness in the closure of the outer cover 14 and the inner cover 16 (the thickness corresponding to the three members constituting the packing box 10) is perfectly absorbed. Therefore, a bulged part can be prevented from being caused by their overlap. The position may be placed in a thickness which is equal to or smaller than the thickness of the three members constituting the packing box 10. A length from a side of the hole 17 formed on the second bending portion 22 to the third bending portion 23 is smaller than a length of the hole 17 from a side of the forth bending portion 24 to the third bending portion 23. In this case, the bulged part is not perfectly eliminated but relieved. In the embodiment, the second bending portion 22 and the third bending portion 23 are formed in an inward position (corresponding to a length L5) from the side of the hole portion 17 at the second bending portion 22 side by 1.5 mm (that is, corresponding to the thickness of the member constituting the packing box 10).

Moreover, the overlap of the outer cover 14 and the inner cover 16 in their closure can be avoided by the hole portion 17. Therefore, it is possible to easily bend the second bending portion 22, the third bending portion 23 and the fourth bending portion 24.

The side plate 11 b and 11 d sides of the inner cover 16 are slightly shorter than the ends of the side plates 11 b and 11 d (approximately 1 mm in the embodiment), and an interference of the side plates 11 b and 11 d can be thus prevented in the closure of the inner cover 16. In addition, both sides of the inserting piece 15 a are slightly shorter than both ends of the stopping portion 15 (approximately 1.5 mm in the embodiment), and an interference can be thus prevented when the inserting piece 15 a is to be inserted between the side plates 11 b and 11 d.

With the structure in which the bulged part can be inhibited from being generated and the structure in which the interference can be prevented, the outer cover 14 and the inner cover 16 are closed to block the packed product port 13 without the overlap or mutual interference of the portions constituting the packing box 10 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

As shown in FIG. 3, bottom plates 18 (18 a, 18 b, 18 c and 18 d) are provided on an opposite side of the side plates 11 a, 11 b, 11 c and 11 d to the outer cover 14 through a seventh bending portion 27, respectively.

The bottom plate 18 a is formed to take a tapered shape apart from the seventh bending portion 27, and a tip portion forms an inserting piece 18 a-1. Moreover, a notch portion 18 c-1 corresponding to the inserting piece 18 a-1 of the bottom plate 18 a is formed on the bottom plate 18 c. Furthermore, forming pieces 18 b-1 and 18 d-1 are provided on the bottom plates 18 b and 18 d. The forming pieces 18 b-1 and 18 d-1 form a slender inserting space together with the notch portion 18 c-1 of the bottom plate 18 c when the bottom plates 18 b and 18 d are closed. Accordingly, the bottom plate 18 e is first bent through the seventh bending portion 27 (is bent to take a convex shape in the embodiment as will also be described below), the bottom plates 18 b and 18 d are subsequently bent through the seventh bending portion 27 to form the inserting space, and the bottom plate 18 a is finally bent through the seventh bending portion 27 to insert the inserting piece 18 a-1 into the inserting space. Consequently, there is formed a bottom portion which cannot be opened easily.

As described above, according to the packing box 10 in accordance with the embodiment, the inner cover 16 is provided to be linked to the outer cover 14 and the side plates 11 b and 11 d. When the outer cover 14 is opened/closed, therefore, the inner cover 16 is interlockingly opened/closed.

Consequently, both the outer cover 14 and the inner cover 16 are opened/closed by a simple operation for opening/closing the outer cover 14.

Moreover, an opening amount of the inner cover 16 follows that of the outer cover 14, Therefore, the inner cover 16 can be prevented from being opened at a time to cause the packed product W to jump out.

As described above, as shown in detail in FIG. 8A, the fifth bending portion 25 is extended toward the edge part at an angle of approximately 45° with respect to the third and fourth bending portions 23 and 24 which cross each other at approximately 90° from the crossing position of the bending portions 23 and 24, Therefore, the inner cover 16 is placed in a position which approaches the outer cover 14 when the outer cover 14 is closed as shown in FIG. 8B.

On the other hand, if the fifth bending portion 25 is tilted toward the side plate 11 b (the side plate 11 d) side more greatly than in the case shown in FIG. 8A as illustrated in FIG. 9A, the inner cover 16 is protruded into the internal space surrounded by the four side plates 11 when the outer cover 14 is closed as shown in FIG. 9B.

If the angle of the fifth bending portion 25 is regulated to cause a protruded end of the inner cover 16 to come in contact with the packed product W (desirably, the packed product W is pressed by the inner cover 16), accordingly, the inner cover 16 is caused to have a buffering function or a fixing function with respect to the packed product W so that the packed product W is protected from an external shock.

As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, a packing box 10 according to a second embodiment is different from the packing box 10 according to the first embodiment in that an inner cover 16 does not take an almost triangular shape, the hole portion 17 in the packing box 10 according to the first embodiment is not formed, and a sixth bending portion 26 is formed on an outer cover 14.

In the other respects, the same structure as that of the packing box 10 according to the first embodiment is employed to include that a second bending portion 22 provided between a side plate 11 c and the outer cover 14 is positioned closer to a tip side of the outer cover 14 than a fourth bending portion 24 provided between side plates 11 b and 11 d and the inner cover 16 as shown in FIG. 13, for example.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, accordingly, the structure is the same in that portions constituting the packing box 10 neither overlap with each other nor mutually interfere. In the embodiment, a length of a third bending portion 23 is smaller as compared with the case according to the first embodiment. Therefore, a rigidity of the third bending portion 23 is lower than that in the packing box 10 according to the first embodiment. However, this is persistently relative. In general, it can be supposed that the rigidity of the third bending portion 23 in the packing box 10 according to the second embodiment is sufficient.

Description will be given to the sixth bending portion 26 provided on the outer cover 14.

As shown in detail in FIG. 12, the sixth bending portion 26 is extended from a portion crossing an outer edge part of one of the inner covers 16 to a portion crossing an outer edge part of the other inner cover 16 in the outer cover 14.

If the sixth bending portion 26 is provided, the outer cover 14 is bent in an opposite direction to a closing direction of the outer cover 14 through the sixth bending portion 26, and at the same time, a part thereof (a portion between the second bending portion 22 and the sixth bending portion 26) is closed so that the inner cover 16 is closed and the outer cover 14 in a residual part is then closed. Accordingly, the outer cover 14 can easily be closed.

Moreover, the outer cover 14 is caused to overlap with an external wail surface of the side plate 11 c in the opening operation so that the inner cover 16 is opened perfectly (that is, to an outside). Therefore, a packed product W can easily be taken out.

Although the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described above based on the embodiments, it should be considered that the embodiments disclosed in the specification are illustrative in all respects and the invention is not restricted to the disclosed technique. In other words, the technical range of the invention should not be construed to be restrictive based on the description in the embodiments but should be persistently construed in accordance with the description of the claims and there are included equivalent techniques to the technique described in the claims and all changes without departing from the gist of the claims.

For example, although the packing box according to the embodiment takes the shape of the quadratic prism, it may take a shape of a triangular prism or a shape of a polygonal prism such as a pentagonal prism. Furthermore, the packing box may take a shape of a wedge toward a tip (in a bottom direction) in place of the shape of the prism and it is possible to apply various shapes having a space for accommodating a packed product therein.

Moreover, the dimensions of the packing box described in the embodiments are only illustrative and the invention is not restricted to the dimensions.

In the description, the product to be packed by the packing box according to the invention is not specified. Accordingly, various products to be packed in the packing box can be applied irrespective of a size.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents. 

1. A packing box comprising: a plurality of side plates that is provided mutually and continuously through a first bending portion; an outer cover that is provided to be linked to at least one of the side plates through a second bending portion crossing the first bending portion, and that serves to block a packed product port formed by the side plates; and an inner cover (i) that is disposed to be linked to the outer cover through a third bending portion on an extension of the first bending portion, (ii) that is disposed to be linked to any of the side plates which is adjacent to the side plate provided with the outer cover through a fourth bending portion in the same direction as the second bending portion, and (iii) that is bent inward through a fifth bending portion extended from a crossing position of the third bending portion and the fourth bending portion.
 2. The packing box according to claim 1, wherein the inner cover is protruded into an internal space surrounded by the side plates when the outer cover is closed.
 3. The packing box according to claim 1, wherein the second bending portion is positioned closer to a tip side of the outer cover than the fourth bending portion.
 4. The packing box according to claim 1, wherein a hole portion is formed in the crossing position of the third bending portion and the fourth bending portion.
 5. The packing box according to claim 1, wherein a sixth bending portion extended from a portion crossing an outer edge part of the inner cover is formed on the outer cover.
 6. The packing box according to claim 1, wherein the hole portion is formed in the crossing position of the first bending portion and the second bending portion.
 7. The packing box according to claim 1, wherein a difference between positions of the second bending portion and the forth bending portion along an outer cover tip direction is greater that a thickness of a member constituting the packing box.
 8. The packing box according to claim 1, wherein the hole portion has a length along a direction of the third bending portion, and the length of the hole is greater than a sum of a thickness of each member constituting the side plate, the outer cover and the inner cover of the packing box.
 9. The packing box according to claim 1, wherein a length from a side of the hole formed on the second bending portion to the third bending portion is smaller than a length from a side of the forth bending portion to the third bending portion. 